Sylvania



(No Model.)

T. S. G. LOWE.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

N0. 396,338. Patented Jan. 15, 1889.

UNTTTTn STATES PATENT @rrrcn.

THADDEUS S. O. LOIVE, OF ORRISTOIVN, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO THE GUARANTEE TRUST AND SAFE DEPOSIT COMPANY,.TRUSTEE, OF PENN- SYLVANIA.

APPARATUS FOR THE MANUFACTURE OF GAS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 396,338, dated January 15, 1889.

Application filed July 2, 1885. Serial No. 170,466. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, THADDEUS S. C. LOWE,

a citizen of the United States, residing at Norristown, Montgomery county, Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Apparatus for the Manufacture of ater- Gas, of which invention the following is a specification;

This invention is a modification of the apparatus described in mypending application, filed November 12, 1884, Serial No. 147,764.

In order to obtain the best results in pro ducing light from water-gas by incandescence it is necessary that the water-gas shallbe free of volatile carbon. It is desirable to be able to make water-gas by the use of inexpensive fuels.

The obj eet of this invention is the production of water-gas by the use of sawdust, pine wood, bituminous coal, or other comparatively inexpensive carbonaceous materials. To effect this result I employ two controllably-connected chambers. In one of these chambers the more inexpensive fuels above referred to are employed for the decomposition of steam, the resulting gases containing volatile carbon. In the other chamber anthracite coal, hard coke, charcoal, or other combustible materials, as free as possible 0 from volatile carbon, (preferring anthracite coal,) are kept in a state of incandescence for the purpose of removing the volatile carbon from the gases produced in the firstnamed chamber or main generator.

The apparatus employed in carrying out my process is represented in the annexed drawings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section of the complete apparatus on the line X X of Fig. 2, and 40 Fig. 2 a horizontal section of the same on the line Y Y of Fig. 1.-

The main generator consists of an iron shell lined with fire-bricks or other refractory materials and provided with fire-grate bars or a fire-brick arch over an ash-pit at the bottom.

The main generator comprises the fuelspace A, steam-superheater B, consisting of several layers of fire-bricks or other refractory materials loosely laid, and a steam-gen- 5-0 erator, 0, consisting ofseveral layers of metal bars crossed and laid loosely, a water-sprayin g nozzle, D, and a pipe, D, leading to a water or steam supply, all as described in my pending application above mentioned.

E is a chamber consisting of an iron shell lined with firebricks or otherrefractory materials and provided with grate-bars F, of metal or fire-bricks, with an ash-pit below.

G is a fine connecting the two chambers A and E at the bottom.

His a valve for closing and opening the flue G.

I and J are valves through which an airblast is admitted to the fuel in the respective chambers.

K K K K are flues, of which the fines K K K connect the chamber E with the chamber A at the top, and the fiues K K K confuels in chambers A and E while heating the apparatus. v

N and N are doors through which the chambers A and E are charged with fuels.

O is a valve for allowing the products of combustion generated while heating up the apparatus to escape to the atmosphere.

P is a pyrometer for determining the heat in the upper part of the superheater.

Q, is a steam-pipe provided with a cock for conducting superheated steam from the upper 0 part of chamber A into the flue G, and R is another steam-pipe provided with a cock for admitting steam. into the ash-pit of chamber A, both or either of these pipes being used as desired, for the purpose of mixing steam with 5 the gases passing from the generator A before these gases pass through the fuel in chamber E.

WVhen it is desired to put this apparatus into operation, valves H and L are closed and valves L and O are opened. An air-blast is then. admitted through valves I and J to the fuels in chambers A and E. The unburned gases arising from these chambers are burned by air-blasts admitted at M, heating the firebricks B to a high degree and the metal bars 0 to a considerable degree sufficient, when desired, to generate steam or to evaporate water into steam. \Vhen the fuels in chambers A and E have become sufficiently heated, valves 0 and L are closed, as well as the valves admitting air-blast to various parts of the apparatus, while valves H and L are opened. Steam, or water-for the production of steam, is then admitted through pipe D, and after the same has passed over the surfaces of the heated materials occupying the upper portion of the chamber A passes as highlyheated steam down through the carbonaceous materials contained in chamber A, and the resulting gas passes out through flue G into chamber E and up through the anthracite coal or other solid carbonaceous materials contained in chamber E, and thence off through :tlues K, K, and K to the washer, scrubber, and holder or directly to the place of consumption, passing in any case, if desired, through a heat-restorer. The effect of this operation is to decompose the steam in chamber A, and in so doing, when sawdust, pine wood, bituminous coal, or other materials containing volatile carbon are there employed, the resulting gases containing more or less surplus carbon, which is carried along with the other gases from this chamber into the chamber E,and on passing up through the fuel thereinsuch as anthracite coal, hard coke, or charcoal in a highly-heated condition the effect is that the surplus carbon carried in the gas from chamber A is deposited on the highly-heated surfaces of the more solid carbons in chamber E, thereby producing gas composed of carbon monoxide and hydrogen free from surplus carbon, a product which, for many uses in the arts, is exceedingly desirable.

The carbon deposited on the surfaces of the hard fuel in chamber E serves to a great ex tent to heat itself again when the air-blast is turned on and to prevent the rapid combustion of the more expensive fuels contained in this chamber.

In cases Where a very large amount of surplus volatile carbon escapes with the gases from generator A it is sometimes desirable to mix with such gases before they pass through the generator E a limited amount of steam, preferably highly superheated, the result of which is the absorption of the surplus volatile carbon and the production of a larger amount of carbonic oxide and hydrogenthe kind of gas most desiredthe resulting gases being thus prevented from containing the obj ectionable volatile carbon. Steam for this purpose maybe admitted at will into the ash-pit of either generator or into the passage-way between the generators, where it will be mixed with the gases from generator A, or it may be admitted by so regulatingthe valve Lthat a portion of the superheated steam from the su perheater in generator A may pass in by pipe Q and mix with the gases resulting from the decomposition of the steam passed through the coal in generator A; or, instead of passing the steam down, through the coal in generator A, the valve II. between the generators A and E can be closed and steam admitted to the ash-pit of generator A and passed up through the fuel in this generator, while another supply of steam orspray of water for the generation. of steam may be admitted at the top of the superheater, whereby the steam is brought into contact with the gases from the'fuels and afterward passed together tlnough theincandescent fuel in chamber E.

Instead of placing the piled materials for generating and superheating steam, or either of these purposes, in the upper part of chamber A, as above described, they may be placed in a separate chamber connected by flue with generator A.

I claim In an apparatus for making water-gas, the combination of a main generator comprising the fuel-chamber A, the stealn-superheaterl3, and the steam-generator 0, all inelosed by a single upright shell having an ash-pit and steam-inlet at the bottom, an air-blast inlet at the upper part of the fuel-space, and a valve, 0, and water-spraying device I) above the steam-generator, a separate generator orfuelehamber, E, a flue, G, connecting the ash-pits of the chambers A and E, the valve H and valved air-inlets I J, located in the flue G, the valved llues K li K connecting the chambers A and E at the top, and a steam-pipe, Q, connecting the fines K and G, substantially as described.

T. S. LOXVE. Witnesses:

J. E. SHAW,

3URroN LooMIs. 

